Choosing The Perfect Cut Of Beef
Choose a cut of beef with plenty of marbling and fat for a pot roast recipe like this one. Here are three of my favorite options:
- Chuck roast is the most common cut of beef used for pot roast. It becomes so tender after low and slow cooking . It has plenty of marbling, which makes it juicy after cooking and adds flavor to the drippings. Cooked just right, a chuck roast is melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
- A bottom or top round cut of beef is what is used when making roast beef. This cut comes from the rear of the cow, which means it’s leaner than both brisket and chuck roast. I like to add a little more fat to the Instant Pot when I use this cut to keep it moist .
- Brisket is a little pricier than chuck roast, but it has a lot of connective tissue that makes it tender after a long day of being cooked slowly . It’s also perfect for cooking in the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot Pot Roast Faqs
What is the best cut of meat for pot roast?
How long do you cook a pot roast in the Instant Pot?
The short answer? About 1 hour.The long answer:How long a roast will need to be pressure cooked depends mostly on how large the roast or the pieces are that you cut it into. I prefer to cut my roasts into chunks that are approximately 1 lb in size . However, the cook time also depends on the thickness of the pieces, so there has to be some wiggle room. To be on the safe side, you can always allow for a little extra time pressure cooking the meat I opt for about 1 hour pressure cooking on high for smaller pieces. If your roast is frozen, or it is in one large piece, you will want to add a significant amount of time to ensure that your meat is fall apart tender.
Can I cook a frozen roast in the Instant Pot?Why is my pot roast tough?Do I have to trim my roast?
Why Buy An Instant Pot
One major benefit to a pressure cooker is steam pressure cooks meat faster than the oven.
For example, if you cooked this Pork Roast For Two recipe in the oven, it would take you almost 2 hours until the meat is tender. In the Instant Pot, it takes about 30 minutes.
The fact I can make a pork loin roast faster without sacrificing flavor is quite amazing.
Unlike a slow cooker, you can sear the meat directly in the pot. This means the meat will have more flavor from the browning.
With a slow cooker, most inserts arent stovetop proof, so you have to sear the meat in a separate pan then transfer it to the cooker.
Not only is there an extra dish to wash, sometimes you dont have time if youre prepping the slow cooker before leaving for work.
Ready to buy one? I have the LUX60V3 6-in-1 use, which you can buy directly from Amazon .
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Choosing The Best Cut Of Beef For Pot Roast:
Chuck roast is the most commonly used cut of beef used in pot roast recipes. You want to go with marbled chuck roast which is widely available at most grocery stores. This results in a super tender and flavorful meal.
You can also go with other chucks, such as chuck eye, blade roast, shoulder roast, shoulder steak, arm steak, arm roast, cross-rib roast, or seven-bone roast. In addition, brisket will be a great option for this recipe.
Instant Pot Vs Crock Pot
I think chuck roasts are especially easy to cook in the Instant Pot. Unlike a crock pot that often allows too much moisture to escape through the lid, the Instant Pot locks in the juices of whatever meat youre cooking. Im not saying dont use a crock pot or slow cooker, but I definitely prefer the Instant Pot to a Crock Pot.
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How We Cooked The Pressure Cooker Pot Roast
- Pat dry, season, and brown each piece of meat for 10 minutes on each side.
- Sauté the onions, mushrooms and garlic, deglaze the pot, then pour in 1 cup of chicken stock.
- Add in herbs. Place the chuck roast back into the pot and pour in all the meat juice.
- Close lid and cook at High Pressure for 20 minutes, 45 minutes, and 75 minutes.
- Full Natural Release for 25 minutes. Then, open lid and cover the chuck roast with aluminum foil on a chopping board, and rest the meat for 8 minutes prior to cutting.
Ready for the results?! Here they are!!
Can You Overcook A Roast In A Pressure Cooker
Unfortunately, once you overcook a piece of meat in the pressure cooker, theres no going back. Because the size dictates how quickly the heat will get to the center of the meat. A roast, for example, has the longest distance for heat to travel from the outside to the center of the meat. And, thats about 45 minutes.
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Cooking A Frozen Roast In Instant Pot Is Possible You Can Still Get A Tender Flavorful Piece Of Beef Even If It Is Not Thawed Out Beforehand Heres How
Here we share how to cook a Frozen Roast in Instant Pot here! Yes sometimes I forget to defrost dinner so this is a helpful Instant Pot recipe hack to keep on hand.
If you need easy Ninja Foodi recipes, you can use that pot instead.
- If this has never happened to you, bravo.
- I of course have made a pressure cooker roast before, when I have bought it fresh, but straight out of the freezer requires different directions.
- You can use the same recipe below if youre using a Crockpot Express or as a easy Ninja Foodi recipe too.
If youre staring at your rock hard piece of beef right now looking for a little guidance, do not fret!! Dinner will come out perfectly and nobody will know you had a forgetful moment.
How Long To Cook Pork Roast In The Instant Pot
When you roast a pork butt in the oven, it takes about 40 minutes per pound. The Instant Pot is MUCH quicker.
In the Instant Pot, you should cook a pork butt for 15 minutes per pound. What does that mean? That means that you set the Instant Pot to pressure cook for 15 minutes per pound. If the roast is 3 pounds, you set it to pressure cook for 45 minutes.
The roast ends up being in the Instant Pot for longer than just those 45 minutes though. Before the pressure cooking starts, the Instant Pot spends time coming up to temperature. That can take as long as 10-15 minutes.
Then, after the pressure cooking time is up, the pressure needs to be released. I do what is called a natural release for 10 minutes. A natural release happens if, when your pressure cooking time has reached zero, you do nothing. Basically, the heater of your Instant Pot stops heating at that point, and then the pressure inside slowly dissipates.
I do the natural release for 10 minutes whenever cooking meat in the Instant Pot because a quicker release results in a drastic change of temperature that can make meat seize up and get tough.
So do the natural release for 10 minutes and then switch the valve to Venting and let the remaining pressure escape. You then open up the Instant Pot and take out the roast.
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About The Vegetables In An Instant Pot Beef Roast
One of the big challenges of making a pot roast in the Instant Pot is avoiding mushy vegetables. Many recipes put them in with the roast, which leads to disintegrated onions, mushy carrots, and mashed potatoes. Other recipes wrap the veggies in foil to protect them a bit, but those too get reports of mushy veggies. Plus, I like to have my carrots and potatoes soak up the wonderful flavor of the beef broth and onions. They wont get that wrapped in foil. I also am not the biggest fan of pressure cooking foil with my food, although I do occasionally do so.
My solution is to pressure cook the beef roast first, remove it to a plate and tent it with foil, add the vegetables to the broth, and pressure cook for 5 minutes. Use 2-3 minutes for firmer vegetables and 8-10 for softer. It doesnt hurt the meat to rest a bit like that anyway. I do cook initially with onions as well, but I add more at the end to have some firmer onions in the mix.
Instant Pot Roast Beef
I am so excited to share this Instant Pot pot roast recipe in time for the colder months that are here. This pot roast in my beloved Instant Pot tastes like the most exquisite restaurant dinner. Now that we know how easy and delicious are ribs in Instant Pot and these pressure cooker pork chops, we barely ever order them at a restaurant. Same goes for the pot roast.
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Cooking Time For Instant Pot Pot Roast
The Instant Pot website lists the cooking time for small chunks of beef roast at 15-20 minutes per 450 grams or 1 pound and large chunks at 20-25 minutes per 450 grams or 1 pound. I prefer roasting a large roast that is not cut into chunks to avoid accidentally overcooking or drying it. That also assures that the collagen is spread through the whole roast. I cook at 25 minutes per pound and typically use a three pound roast. So 75 minutes is about perfect for that. You will see some suggest 90 minutes for any roast, but I have seen reports of overcooked roasts with that length of time, and a generic time that does not consider the weight of the roast is not very helpful. However, overcooking usually wont harm things too much other than causing a loss of flavor and some drying.
Very small roasts can be tricky. I suggest adding more time, even perhaps doubling it, than the normal 20-25 minutes per pound for a small roast.
Natural Release is also key to a good Instant Pot roast. If impatient, give the natural release at least 15 minutes. My full natural release took 25 minutes. Doing so helps lock in the juices and keep the meat moist. It seems that many times when a person reports getting a tough roast they either pressure cooked it for too short of a time, or they used quick release. So, once quick release is used, your 3 pound roast will actually take longer, around 100 minutes.
The Biggest Take Away That We Learned From This Instant Pot Recipe Is That For A Beef Roast Pressure Cooking Time Is More Dependent On Thickness Than Weight
We foundan excellent resource that discusses and compares pressure cooking times for various times for a beef roast and used their recommendations as a guide for this recipe.
As we learned with our whole chicken pressure cooker recipe for the Instant Pot, the resulting juices make for an excellent gravy and we opted to use them for this Instant Pot rump roast as well. I picked up the ingredients for this entire Instant Pot dinner at Aldi and probably spent a little more than $15.00, which handily would feed a family of 4 or more people.
Im learning to steam vegetables and make mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot and once I perfect my technique I will share it with you, I promise.
On a side note, have you ever eaten or cooked with rainbow carrots? Theyre one of my favorite finds from our local little farmers market a few years ago and we have cooked with them many times since, including with this very popular pork recipe from Platter Talk.
Cayenne Seared Pork Chops with Orange-Glazed Carrots from Platter Talk
The Instant Pot is a relatively new kitchen appliance and there is a learning curve to it but dont let that stop you from having fun with it.
Youre going to have a flop or two, but thats OK! Dont get too frustrated and for goodness sake dont be afraid of the Instant Pot. Pick up a nice chunk of beef, grab some seasoning and then have some fun. Its going to be delicious!
- salt and pepper to taste
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Saute Onion And Garlic
*Note: Your Instant Pots inner pot should look quite brown. Dont worry! Your pot didnt burn, those caramelized brown bits add yummy flavors to your roast beef.
Add in one more tbsp olive oil. Add in sliced onions, then saute for 3 minutes.
Add in 2 bay leaves, ¼ tsp dried rosemary, and minced garlic in Instant Pot. Saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.
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Brown And Sear The Meat
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How To Cook A Roast
Pot roast recipes typically call for thawed beef. Since it can take up to a few days to fully thaw a roast, and weve all had those moments where we forgot to take the meat out of the freezer, I decided to find out if you could get incredibly tender roast beef using a frozen roast in the Instant Pot. The answer is a definite yes!
This roast is pull-apart tender and nobody will ever know that you forgot to defrost your roast in advance.
To make it, simply place your trivet in the bottom of the Instant Pot, add the frozen roast, pour the broth over the roast, sprinkle the seasoning over top, add the garlic and onion, cook it, and let it natural release for 30 minutes.
A quick note its important to pour the broth over the frozen roast rather than adding it to the bottom of the pot before adding the roast. The liquid thaws the edge of the roast just enough to allow the seasoning to stick to it. It makes the final result so delicious!
Let The Pork Roast Rest
7) When the roast gets to 180°F, take the roast out of the oven and let it rest for 30-40 minutes. It will be fine for up to an hour. There is no need to cover it during resting time. This is important because this is the only time the roast will rest. Dont skip this step.
Youre probably wondering if the roast is going to get cold during this long rest. It actually stays warm inside for a long time though. Also, youre going to be putting the roast back into the oven for a bit and that will reheat it. Finally, its my general opinion that once you carve a roast, those slices tend to cool down pretty quickly no matter what youve done. The key is to have a lot of really hot gravy to pour over it all. That makes it all warm and delicious!
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What Is Pork Sirloin Tip Roast
Did you know that the USDA changed the names of cuts of pork for pork loin and pork chops? Theyve been rolling out the changes for a while, but it explains why you may keep finding new cuts of pork at the grocery store or in restaurants.
Sirloin tip roasts come from the top-back of the pig, next to the sirloin but before the ham. Its a very lean cut of meat, so you have to be careful not to overcook it.
I first learned about pork sirloin tip roasts when I received an email from Pat, a sweet Pressure Cooking Today reader. If youre a Costco shopper, you may have noticed them. Costco sells these pork roasts in a bundle of four, and each roast is about 2 to 3 pounds.
Its a fairly inexpensive cut of meat, often selling between $1.50 and $2 per pound. Despite the bargain price point, the pork cooks up lean and tender.
One thing to be aware of is that the Costco sirloin tip roast is injected with pork broth and salt. If youre watching your sodium or sensitive to salt, you may want to omit the salt from this recipe.
Natural Release Locks In Those Instant Pot Chuck Roast Juices
When cooking meat in the Instant Pot, one important tip is to use natural release vs. the quick release method. Natural release is when you allow the Instant Pot to come down from pressure naturally. Now, it does take additional time to do this , but natural release essentially lets the cooked meat rest, which ensures the chuck roast stays juicy. Quick release is when you switch the pressure valve to vent, which prematurely releases the pressure from the Instant Pot.
If you are in a hurry, try to give the Instant Pot at least 15 minutes of natural release before letting out the rest of the pressure manually.
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